Sunlight
by Jerrib
Summary: Steve and Kono are trapped in a cave-in while searching for a mall shooter.  Hurt/comfort with Steve and just a touch of romance.


This is my first fan fiction story on Hawaii Five 0. I'd love feedback. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.

Sunlight

Steve McGarrett sat at his desk rubbing his face trying to wake himself up. Three days. Three days since a killer went on a shooting spree in a local mall. Six people dead, 11 more wounded and somehow the shooter escaped. Mall security cameras showed a man in a baseball cap, dark jacket and jeans, heavy hiking boots. He'd shot down from the third floor into a crowded food court then vanished. From what Steve and the team could tell he'd then ditched most of his "disguise" and blended into the panicked crowd running from the mall. His rifle showed up in a men's room stall, the serial numbers removed with acid.

Steve rocked back in his chair and watched the security footage for what had to be the 100th time. Police, FBI and the military were all involved in the search, since debate raged as to whether it was a terrorist, a disgruntled former employee or a random nut. How could the shooter have walked away so easily? Steve asked himself. "A nut doesn't just walk out, he gets gunned down by the police or kills himself. And a terrorist would not let it go so long without claiming credit in some way."

His door opened and Chin Ho Kelly came in. "Steve I think we may have a credible tip."

"Really?"

"A call came in on the tip line identifying the shooter as a James Nordson. He worked at a hunting and camping store in the mall until two weeks ago. Then he was fired for harassing another employee. The caller said he liked to camp in Mililani Park. I remember a cave up in the woods we used to go to as kids."

"Get everyone together. We'll take your truck and head up there. Tell HPD to send a SWAT Team to his apartment and have men deployed to the park. We'll have to sweep the whole park but our team will start at the cave." Steve rose to his feet and abruptly sneezed.

"You ok boss," Chin frowned.

"I'm fine. Let's get our gear and head out." Steve moved to the door calling Danny and Kono as he went.

An hour later the dark blue truck entered the park and Steve followed Chin's directions to the cave. He pulled to the side of the road into a small turn out surrounded by trees. "We'll park here and walk the rest of the way," Steve climbed out of the truck. He was suited up in his bullet proof vest over a long sleeve dark shirt with a black t-shirt, dark green pants and his work boots. Chin and Kono were dressed in dark shirts and pants while Danny was wearing his usual shirt , tie and dress pants under his vest. Each of them carried a small backpack loaded with ammunition, water, and supplies.

"McGarrett, shouldn't we wait for more backup," Danny asked. "I know you like to run around and shoot at stuff but this is serious nature," Danny pointed to the nearby waterfall.

"Danny, we have men all over the island searching for this guy. I think the four of us can handle a little walk in the woods, don't you?" Steve grinned at his partner. Kono and Chin both grinned as well.

Danny paused as he considered his options then shrugged, "Lead on Robinson Crusoe."

Steve smiled then quickly checked the chamber of his gun and led the team into the jungle. Half an hour later the four of them squatted and stared through the leaves at the gaping mouth of a cave set into a large mountain. "Chin, Danno – you check around the outside. Kono, you and I are going in and sweep the place. Flashlight in one hand, gun in the other, got it?" Everyone nodded. Chin and Danny went off in both directions, getting ready to flank the cave. Steve and Kono headed straight into the darkness, hugging the sides of the cave wall.

"Keep your flashlight off until you need it," Steve whispered softly. Kono nodded. The two edged forward carefully, guns stretched in front of them. Steve glanced over his shoulder and saw the entrance of the cave behind them, the dim sunlight barely cutting the darkness.

"Boss," Kono whispered and gestured. "I see something back there."

Steve squinted, then took another step forward, straining to see. He heard a faint snap and suddenly the world behind him exploded.

Danny was walking around the edge of the clearing looking for signs of life when suddenly an explosion rang out from the entrance of the cave and debris exploded towards him. He dove forward, covering his head as rocks and dirt landed on him. When the debris settled he slowly raised his head, shaking the dirt out of his hair. He rose quickly and turned. Where the cave opening had been was a mountain of rocks, effectively sealing the cave. He glanced around frantically and saw Chin lying a few feet away. "Chin," Danny squatted next to him.

Chin groaned and rolled on his back, "What happened broh?"

"Something blew up the entrance to the cave," Danny gestured towards it.

"Kono," Chin screamed and ran forward. Danny followed him and the two stood in front of the cave shouting Kono and Steve's names. There was no response.

Danny pulled out his phone, "We need to get help in here. Thank god," he saw that he had signal and immediately began dialing HPD. "This is Danny William, 5 O. We need emergency rescue crews deployed stat to this location. Lt Commander Steve McGarrett and one of our officers are trapped by a cave in. Tell everyone to approach with caution. There may be other explosives planted."  
Danny nodded several times and signed off.

Chin had moved to the cave entrance and carefully began removing debris from the blocked entrance.

"Chin, we don't know how much of this rock there is."

Chin stared at Danny then returned to his work. "We need to remove all of the rocks Danny, one at a time. If I move ten rocks, that's ten rocks closer to Kono and Steve." Danny stared then shrugged off his pack and commenced moving rocks with Chin.

Kono groaned deeply and rolled over onto her back, knocking off the debris and rocks that covered her body. She took a deep breath and lay for moment mentally checking herself. She wiggled her toes and fingers and then slowly sat up. She could tell she had some cuts and scratches on her arms and legs but her flack vest had effectively protected her torso. Her eyes strained against the pitch darkness and she began to feel around for her flashlight. She finally discovered it not too far from where she had fallen. Grasping it she turned it on and looked around. She gasped when she saw a solid wall of rock surrounding her on three sides. "McGarrett! She yelled. Silence.

Kono stood up and began to slowly explore the cave. A moment later she found her boss half buried under a pile of rocks and debris. His head and torso were relatively clear. She knelt and began to examine him carefully running her hands over his arms and neck and up into his hair. She winced when she found a cut on the back of his head, and her fingers came away sticky with blood. "McGarrett, can you hear me?" No response.

Kono began to carefully remove the rocks that covered McGarrett's lower back and legs. As she cleared the last rock she thanked god for the sturdy boots her boss wore every day which had protected his feet. She ran her hands up and down his legs. She couldn't feel any broken bones. She began checking his back when she heard a muffled groan. "McGarrett," Kono hesitated, "Steve."

Steve replied with another muffled groan and began to move his arms and legs. "Stay still a minute for me," Kono ordered. Steve immediately stilled. "I need to be sure your back is ok before you move. Can you wiggle your fingers for me." Steve immediately wiggled both fingers. "Wiggle your toes and move your feet," she spoke a little less brusquely, relief sweeping through her as both his legs moved. "Ok, carefully now, how's your neck?" Steve responded by moving his head slowly then rolling onto his back.

"Nothing seems broken," Steve said. "What the hell?" He caught sight of the wall of rock behind them.

"Looks like we walked into some sort of booby trap." Kono said.

Steve slowly rose to his feet and extended his hand to help Kono up. His eyes widened when he felt her hand was sticky with blood. "Where are you hurt?"

"I'm not, it's your blood. You have a laceration on the back of your head. You were out for a few minutes. "

"That explains the pounding in my head." Steve turned slowly around attempting to assess the situation. "Help me find my flashlight," he asked.

Kono played her light over the floor and quickly found it when her light reflected off it's silver casing. Steve tested it briefly and then turned it off and put it into his back pocket. "We need to save the batteries as long as we can. No telling how long we are going to be in here."

Kono shuddered. Then she blinked. "Steve, do you think our phones will work in here?"

"Great idea," Steve pulled his phone from his pocket and flicked it carefully. "No bars on mine."

Kono retrieved hers. "I have one small bar." She hit speed dial for Danny's phone. The two of them stared down at the phone just as the flickering single bar disappeared. She looked up at Steve, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Just turn it off and we'll try again later. We better preserve the batteries." Steve shut his phone down as well. The two stood in darkness for a long minute. Steve abruptly sneezed.

"Bless you," Kono murmured.

"Thanks," Steve fidgeted restlessly trying to think of a plan over his pounding headache. He turned to Kono, "What did you see?"

"What?"

"Right before the explosion you said you saw something back there. What did you see?"

"I don't know. It looked like a pile of things – not rocks but things. Something about the shape," she shrugged not quite seeing the relevance considering their situation.

"Let's go check it out," Steve pulled out his flashlight and flicked it on. "Save your battery." He took a step forward, reaching back with his right hand to take hers. Kono realized he meant to guide her in the dark but she took comfort in his strong grip and together they journeyed deeper into the cave.

About 20 yards ahead Steve's flashlight picked out the pile they had seen earlier. There on the floor was a pile of camping gear. Steve glanced at Kono and they squatted together to go through everything. "Let's sort all this out. See what we can use." Steve efficiently began sorting. In short order they surveyed the spread out items. A large sleeping bag, a whole flat of water bottles –most still full, a backpack stocked with clothes and two cartons of food. And, much to Steve's relief a Coleman lantern, a flashlight and batteries.

"Looks like the tipoff was right. Nordson has been staying here. He must have rigged the booby trap for anyone who came looking for him."

"Do you think he's in here too?" Kono whispered.

Steve shone his light around and then shook his head quickly. "I don't think so. We would have seen or heard him by now. He probably has other places set up to hide out in as well."

"Do you think he was a terrorist?" Kono said in her normal voice. She was surprised at how much her body ached and she longed to sit down. But as long as Steve was on his feet she'd stay on hers.

"I don't know. This doesn't read like a terrorist, more like a militia type, a survivalist. Someone who thinks he's defending himself against the world. He's probably been stockpiling for years in various places so he could go to ground." Steve suddenly began to cough, bending almost double with the force of his coughing. Kono grabbed his arm as he began to sway.

"You need to rest. Just stay here a minute," Kono helped Steve straighten and when she was sure he was ok she hurriedly spread the large sleeping bag on the floor and put the clothing stuffed backpack down as a kind of pillow, after extracting a t-shirt. "Ok, lie down here on your side."

"My side?" Steve settled himself onto the sleeping bag.

"I want to clean that head wound of yours. And I think your cold is getting worse. I wouldn't have thought a cave in Hawaii would get this damp and chilly." As Steve lay on his side Kono opened one of the water bottles and wet the t-shirt. She gently began to clean the back of Steve's head, flinching when he tensed.

"Caves the world over are by their very nature damp and chilly. When we were in the caves in Afghanistan it was unreal. You'd go from blazing heat in the dead of summer to dark and cool. There's a reason people in desert regions have made their lives in caves." Steve's voice slurred slightly.

"You need some rest. Drink a little water. There's nothing we can do until Danny and Chin get us out."

Steve gratefully took a drink then lay down with his head on the backpack. He closed his eyes and relaxed as he felt a gentle hand brushing across his forehead with a cool damp cloth. He sighed and let himself doze.

Danny's call for reinforcements quickly brought all of the teams that were searching the park together and the clearing of the cave in continued. Danny and Chin worked side by side with the other workers.

Frustrated with the slow pace of the work Danny surveyed the scene. A full 25 men were systematically removing the rocks blocking the cave's entrance. Chin came up to him swilling from a bottle of water. "Chin we need more men. And equipment."

"Danny we need the whole damned army to clear this out." Chin said.

"We can't call the army but I think I can do something even better." Danny pulled out his phone and carefully dialed a number. He waited patiently and then spoke, "Governor, this is Danny Williams, Steve McGarrett's partner. Governor I need your help. Steve's in trouble."

Less than an hour later the Navy and the Hawaii State National Guard arrived. Helicopters flew in special equipment, jack hammers, drills, generators, lights. Since nightfall was coming the lights were deployed instantly, turning a dark wooded glen into a brightly light stage. Demolitions experts and military personnel were examining every aspect of the cave's entrance.

Chin sidled up to Danny who'd wisely decided to step out of the way. "Where did you get the Governor's private number?"

"Steve had it on his phone. I borrowed it one day and saw it there."

"You memorized it?"

"No I copied it onto my phone. You never know when you're going to need a friend in high places. You know how Steve doesn't like to exploit his relationship with the governor. I just figured who better to rescue Steve than his boss."

Chin laughed, his face relaxing from his worried frown for the first time since the explosion. "Do you think they're ok?"

"If anyone can survive the world blowing up around him, it's Steve McGarrett. I'm sure he's taking excellent care of Kono."

Inside the cave Steve woke slowly, his head was pounding and his left arm seemed to have gone numb. He realized very quickly that his arm was asleep because it had become a pillow for Kona who was spooned next to him. Her back was fitted against his body and he could feel her heat warming him. He lay very still and tried to reason out what was going on. He remembered lying down to rest and feeling her hand stroking his forehead with a wet cloth. She must have eventually tired and he had a vague memory of her lying next to him on the sleeping bag. They must have cuddled together for warmth. He took a tentative sniff of her hair which was close to his face. He could smell coconuts and warm ginger drifting up from her hair. As he lay there wondering what to do next he drifted off to sleep.

When Kona awoke later she found herself with her head cuddled on Steve's chest and his arms firmly holding her to him. She wasn't too clear on what had happened but when she tried to move his arms seemed to instinctively tighten around her. She relaxed into his arms, enjoying his warmth. She admitted to herself that she was living the fantasy of every woman in HPD since Steve McGarrett had come along. His height, good looks and impeccable manners thrilled everyone. What Kono admired even more was how he treated her as an equal on the team, he never called her a rookie like Danny and Chin did. Though in many ways Steve himself was a rookie – he had his military and Seal training but like Kono he was slowly learning the rules of police work. She felt a grin cross her face, if the girls could see me now she thought. Then again covered in dust and debris with cuts all over her she was not at her most attractive. Steve squeezed her again and she cuddled even closer. It wasn't like they had anywhere else to be. She pressed her ear to his chest and let herself relax to the steady beat of his heart.

Danny and Chin joined the group of engineers who were working on the plans for excavating the cave-in.

"Williams, I don't know how long this operation is going to take. You may want to stop considering it a rescue operation and consider It a recovery operation." The chief engineer for the state folded his arms, his judgment delivered.

Danny ran his hand through his hair and leaned pugnaciously into the older man's face. "Like hell I will. It's been all of 5 hours. Look at how these men are working. And when they're tired another group will join us, and another. You have all the manpower you want asshole, now get to work."

"Now listen," the engineer began only to be interrupted by the sound of a helicopter hovering overhead. The helicopter gracefully landed in a nearby clearing and several men in dark suits exited, followed by the Governor in a pair of jeans, work boots and a leather jacket. She approached Danny, Chin and the engineers.

"Gentlemen, how are things going?" Her calm blue eyes swept over the crowd, resting on Dannys' reddened face.

"Governor I was just explaining to these men," the chief engineer began but Danny cut him off.

"Governor, these men say they don't think they can rescue Steve and Kono. They say it will be a recovery operation."

"Really. Well Mr. O'Reilly let me put it to you this way. I have spent an awful lot of time and money on Lt Commander McGarrett. I want him back, the Navy wants him back, and HPD wants him back – ALIVE. Do I make myself clear? You have all the resources of this state at your disposal. If you can't find a way to do this job perhaps I will have to start looking for someone who can do it." The Governor fixed her icy stare on the Chief Engineer who quickly wilted.

"Yes Ma'am. We'll figure out something. Don't you worry."

"I'm not the one who should be worrying. I'm planning to stay for a while and see what else is needed here. Detective Williams, can you brief me on the situation."

Danny immediately began to explain everything that had happened to the Governor, a feeling of calm and relief sweeping over him. He was sure that Steve and Kono were just fine on the other side of the wall.

At first Kono thought there was an earthquake but it was Steve having another coughing fit , his body shaking her awake. She rolled off his chest and scrambled to find her flashlight and the bottle of water. She placed the bottle in his shaking hands and helped him lift it to his lips. Eventually the coughing subsided. Her concern grew when she heard the faint wheezing sounds of his breath.

"Steve, you're sick," she placed her hand on his forehead and felt the fever burning there.

"I never get sick ," he muttered.

"Well maybe that's true but you were sneezing earlier today, or was it yesterday. And now you have a fever, a cough. This is so not good." Kono helped Steve sit up and began to dig through her pack for the small emergency kit she always carried. Steve watched as she dug out a small bottle and pried it open. She shook out two tablets and handed them to him.

"What's this?"

"Something to help reduce your fever. You're shivering. Let's have you put on this sweatshirt to help you stay warm."

Steve blushed at that comment. Kono looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"You were doing a pretty good job of keeping me warm," Steve said with a sly grin crossing his face. They were only separated by about a foot and their eyes locked on each other. She grinned back at him.

"Right back at ya," she said. "And once you've had something to eat and drink I'll be offering you that same assistance again."

"Kono," Steve paused as if considering his next words carefully. "Thank you for everything. There's no one I'd rather be stuck in a cave in with," he winked at her.

She blushed again and busied herself selecting some food for them to eat. She finally settled on some protein bars and the two shared a bottle of water.

"What do you think they're doing out there?" Kono asked, breaking the silence.

"A lot of digging. Hey, should we try the phones again?" Steve reached in his pocket and flicked on his phone. A single bar flashed at him. "I'll try Danny," Steve pushed the first number on his speed dial and flipped on the speaker.

"Steve, Steve is that you," Danny's voice came through faint and crackly.

"Danny, we're both ok. We're deep in the cave. Tell everyone we're fine and keep digging." Steve shouted hoping to be heard.

"Governor it's Steve." Danny yelled. "Steve we've got everyone digging. Hold on ok buddy."

"Danny," Steve began then the call dropped and the single bar disappeared. He looked at Kono and could see the relief on her face. "I told you they're digging. Did he say Governor?"

"Yes."

"Oh to be a fly on the wall for this," Steve said. He abruptly began to cough again and Kono moved to sit beside him and prop him up. When he finally stopped she handed him the bottle of water and he drank again.

"Steve you need to rest. Lie down and get some more sleep," Steve lay back propping his head on the backpack. He stared at her intently for a moment and held open his arm to her. Kono hesitated for a long moment. It's one thing to wake up in the boss' arms inadvertently, it was another to go to him deliberately. Steve said nothing and at last Kono moved over and put her head back on his chest, giving a small sigh as his arm wrapped around her. She reached back and pulled the other half of the sleeping bag over them. The two lay quietly for a minute.

"I like your shampoo," Steve said suddenly. "Coconuts and ginger?"

"Right. Good guess." Kono smiled to herself.

"Smells great. Reminds me of a dessert my mom used to make when I was a kid, coconut and ginger blondies"

"My mom still makes those. You could come over some night and have dinner with us. I'll make sure she has them for you."

Steve smiled. "I'd like that."

Kono tilted her head back and returned his smile. Their eyes met and his head tilted down and he kissed her firmly. Eventually Steve lifted his head and said softly, "Not here and now Kono. But when we're out of here I'd like to take you out on a proper date if that's ok with you."

Kono smiled and nodded her assent. Steve's arm tightened around her and the two drifted off to sleep.

When Kono awoke a few hours later she could hear that the wheezing in Steve's chest had become much more pronounced. He was tossing his head back and forth restlessly. She placed her hand on his forehead. His fever had climbed, the Advil hadn't worked. "Steve, Steve, " Kono shook him gently. Steve opened his eyes and stared at her blankly.

"Kono, what's going on?"

"You're sick. Here drink some water. You've got a fever. Try and rest." She gave him the water and watched him swallow and fall back asleep almost immediately. She got up and moved away and pulled out her phone. Turning it on she saw a single bar. She dialed.

"Kono?" Chin's voice came through loud and clear. "Kono, is that you?"

"Yes Chin. We can't seem to make the phones work well in here. Chin, listen. Steve's sick. Real sick. We need to get him out of here." Kono turned to look over at Steve but he was swallowed by the darkness that surrounded them.

"Kono, the crews are working on it. Can you go toward the front of the cave and see if you can hear them digging or the jackhammers? Be careful though."

Kono shone her flashlight on the ground and moved to the front of the cave. As she approached the wall she could hear the jack hammers faintly. Suddenly a rock came tumbling down from the ceiling, then another. She turned and fled to the back of the cave. "Chin, the roof is starting to come down. Chin, the roof is falling," Kono suddenly realized her phone was once again dead in her hand. She knelt next to Steve and tried not to panic. Their rescuers could get them crushed.

Chin turned and ran towards the workers shouting and waving his hands. "Stop, stop for God sake. The roof is caving in on them." He grabbed the arms of the engineers. Danny came running up.

"Chin what are you doing?"

"Kono called. She said she could hear the jack hammers then she said the roof was falling in. We have to stop them, figure out something else." Danny helped Chin stop the workers and everyone gathered.

"It must be the vibrations of the jack hammers. It will slow us down if we go back to pulling things out manually but we can try it."

Chin spoke up, "Kono said Steve's real sick. We need to get them out without the roof coming down."

The Governor spoke up from the fringe of the crowd. "Are we sure there is no other way in to this cave?"

Everyone swiveled to stare at her and then at each other. "What Ma'am?" Danny said.

"It seems to me like this fellow wouldn't have planted a bomb to seal the entrance if there wasn't another way out of the cave. Maybe something hidden."

"Immediately teams split off to search the perimeter of the mountain, seeking an entrance into the cave that held Steve and Kono. The work crews continued to shift the rocks away.

Danny and Chin worked their way through the brush around the base of the mountain. Danny grumbled the whole time. They'd been up almost two days straight and he was afraid they'd walk right by an entrance. Chin suddenly grabbed his arm. "Danny, do you see that?" He was pointing to a particularly thick piece of brush.

"Yeah, so it's a tree."

Chin rolled his eyes. "Yeah but look beyond the tree."

Danny blinked and then realized what Chin was speaking about. There behind the tree was what appeared to be a small crack in the mountain. The two men climbed through the bushes and past the tree and examined the crack in the mountain. "I think a man could fit through there," Danny said. "What do you think?"

"I think so. Let's call for backup. God knows how far this cave goes into the mountain. I don't want to get lost."

"You, you aren't going in there." Danny spoke into his radio asking for back up at their location. "I'm going in."

"Look, she's my cousin."

"Well he's my partner." The two men were glaring at each other when suddenly Chin smiled.

"We could go in together. We are a team remember."

Danny smiled in relief.

In a short time both men were fitted out with gear and proceeded to squeeze in the tight crack into the cave. While Danny had been worried he wouldn't fit, in fact he slide through relatively easily. Wearing flashlights on hard hats and carrying additional lanterns the two men began to slowly move forwards in to the mountain.

Kono was beginning to feel desperate. Steve was becoming increasingly delirious and all she had to work with was a cool cloth for his forehead. She kept him wrapped in the sleeping bag and did her best to keep him calm.

"Dad?" Steve's voice cracked slightly.

"No Steve, it's Kono." She stroked his hair as she spoke.

"Dad? Why can't I find you?"

Kono felt tears flood his eyes. Steve's voice sounded so tired.

"Steve, please honey just rest."

Steve sighed suddenly and seemed to sink into a deeper sleep. In the quiet Kono tensed. She could hear approaching footsteps. Blind panic seized her. Could it be Nordson emerging from hiding? She needed to get Steve somewhere he would be protected. She grabbed the sleeping bag on either side of his head and gave a mighty heave. She dragged him across the floor and tucked him into a small indention in the cave wall. She squatted in front of him in the darkness, one hand on her flashlight and one on her gun. The steps continued to come closer. Suddenly she saw twin flashlights approaching. She sprang to her feet and shone her flashlight directly into the eyes of the approaching men at the same time drawing her gun. "Freeze police, Drop your weapons."

"Kono?" Chin's voice rang out.

"Chin? Oh thank god," Kono ran straight towards the two men, jumping into her cousin's open arms.

"Kono, where's Steve?" Danny said.

"Over here, he's really sick. He's got a high fever and wheezing in his chest."

Danny knelt next to Steve's body and looked him over. "Where'd you find a sleeping bag?"

"There were supplies in the cave. It was definitely someone's hide out." Kono watched as Chin and Danny got Steve to his feet and put their arms around him. Steve's head nodded forward, he was barely conscious. They half carried and half dragged him, following the rope that had been attached to them when they entered the cave.

In a short while the four emerged into the broad sunlight. Rescue workers quickly began to work on Steve, giving him an IV and oxygen and preparing him for transport. When Chin got a good look at his cousin's cuts and bruises he insisted she be transported with McGarrett. Kono climbed into the helicopter and it quickly took flight.

Danny and Chin arrived at the hospital later that day. They'd led the examination of the goods in the cave and worked with HPD to craft a strategy for tracking down their killer. Both were filthy and exhausted but they just wanted to check in on their comrades before heading home for a well deserved rest.

As they approached the lobby desk the nurse passing by called to Chin, "Aloha Cousin."

"Are you related to literally everyone on this island Chin? Danny rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Almost, Aloha Cousin. We're here to see…" before he could continue she interrupted.

"The big hoale and our little cousin Kona. Room 215."

"Which one is in 215?" Danny asked.

She gave him a broad grin and a hearty laugh. "When they come in they were both a mess. We cleaned Kona up while the doctor's worked on your friend. The whole time she was how's Steve, how's Steve. The nurse in the other room tells me Steve just kept asking for our little Kona. Once we got her a shower and some clean clothes she went straight to his room. Been there ever since. Just be quiet when you go in." She grinned again and walked away.

"What's that all about," Danny asked.

"Don't know. Let's go see."

Danny pushed open the door to Steve's room quietly. The room was dim with the shades drawn. He could hear the beeping of the heart monitor and he saw the IV bags dangling above Steve's bed. The lines fed into his right arm. And cuddled in his free left arm was Kona. Her head rested on the curve of Steve's shoulder and his chin was resting on the top of her head. They were both fast asleep. Danny's eyebrows rose and he glanced over at Chin and gestured towards the door.

"What is up with that?" Danny said as they exited the room. "You don't think?"

"No, no way. Certainly not in the cave. That makes no sense. They were both scared and alone. It makes sense they'd need to be with each other now." Chin sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"We'll see them tomorrow. Come on. I want a shower in the worst way." Danny led the way out of the hospital.

The next morning Kona came awake when someone started shaking her shoulder. "Come on little cousin, the doctor is starting his rounds. You need to get out of here," her cousin Kiki shook her again. Kona's eyes blinked open and she stole a glance up. Her soft brown eyes met Steve's steely blue ones. She could tell he'd been awake a while watching her sleep. She smiled tentatively and he gave her a cheerful grin.

"Kona, seriously, you have to get up. I can't have the doctor find out we let you sleep here all night."

"Thanks cuz." Kona thought for a moment about kissing Steve but decided she needed to be discrete. Dating your boss was tricky enough without people knowing.

"Did you speak to your friends last night?"

"Friends?" Steve said. "What friends?"

"Chin and the little man with the tie," Kiki was checking Steve's pulse.

"They were here? We didn't see them?"

"Maybe they saw you were asleep and let you rest. You both needed it." Kiki clucked over Steve's accelerating pulse. "Let me go see where the doctor is at."

Steve looked at Kono and she could see the hesitation in his eyes. She decided to make it easy on them both. "I better get going. I'm glad to see you're doing so well."

"Kono, please."

"No Steve. It's hard enough for me being a rookie and the only woman on the team. I can't have people talking that I got this job because I'm, I'm sleeping with my boss."

Steve's lips parted but he couldn't think of what to say. He knew she was right. It would destroy her reputation and probably his as well. He could only nod.

"I'll see you later." Kono slipped out the door without looking back.

She ran into Danny and Chin on the way in. "Chin, could you give me a ride home? I'd like to take another shower and put on my own clothes."

Danny and Chin exchanged puzzled glances but Chin assented and they parted ways. Danny continued on to Steve's room. The door was open and he could hear the voices of the doctors surrounding his bed.

"Well Commander McGarrett I have to say you are a mighty fast healer. I didn't expect to see you doing so much better this morning. I would like to keep you one more day just to make sure we get you fully back on your feet. Then it's a week at home at least on bed rest. A concussion and bronchitis are not to be fooled with."

"Yes doctor," Danny was surprised at how subdued his partner sounded. He stepped aside as the doctors exited and he entered the room.

"Hi Steve, you look a lot better than the last time I saw you. Well actually the time before the last time," Dan gave him a sly grin which faded when he saw the bleakness in Steve's eyes.

"Danny I know what you saw, but it isn't what you think. Kono and I just went through some really bad shit. I was worried about her, she was worried about me…." His voice trailed off.

Danny wasn't convinced but he realized that something must have happened with Kono and things returned to normal. "Sure Steve, hey I can understand that. Just glad I wasn't trapped in there with you." He laughed and was pleased to see Steve's face relax.

"So tell me about the search, bring me up to date."

Danny sat in the guest chair and commenced to brief his boss.


End file.
